Performative Is Not Progress

We have all seen it. The black squares, the rainbow logos for exactly thirty days, the hollow corporate statements that sound like they were written by a robot. It is easy to look like you care when the cameras are on. It is much harder to do the work when nobody is watching. True justice is not a performance for an audience; it is a commitment to a set of values that guides your life even when it is inconvenient. If your activism only exists on your grid, it is probably just a hobby.

I am not saying social media is useless. It is a massive tool for awareness. But awareness is the front door, not the whole house. If you are sharing infographics but ignoring the way your own workplace treats its cleaning staff, there is a disconnect. If you are 'pro-equality' but you never listen to the people actually living the experiences you’re posting about, you are missing the point. We need to move from being 'allies' in name to being accomplices in action. That means putting something on the line.

Action looks different for everyone. Maybe it is donating part of your paycheck, maybe it is showing up to a local council meeting, or maybe it is simply unlearning the biases you grew up with. It is about the 'boring' stuff. The stuff that does not get a thousand likes. It is about checking your own ego and realizing that you do not always have to be the main character of the movement. Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is step back and pass the mic to someone who has been silenced.

Don't get caught up in the 'aesthetic' of being woke. It is a trap. It makes you feel like you are doing something when you are really just consuming content. Real progress is messy, slow, and often very quiet. It is built on consistency. It is built on showing up even when the hype has died down and the trend has shifted to something else. Be the person who stays. Be the person who actually cares about the outcome more than the credit. That is how we actually change things.